


Buttons and Birds

by AutumnButters



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Body Horror, Coraline AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fundy is just an actual fox, Ghost dream team, Ghost kids - Freeform, It's a Coraline au, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phil is trying to raise his boys right he makes mistakes, SBI Coraline, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Talk of needles and sewing it into eyes, The body horror is something separate, Tommy and Tubbo are best friends your honor, Tommy gets emotional manipulated but what's fucken new, clingy duo, he's not really a real person, it's no one real fault for the shit that happens besides [redacted], just eye shit in general, sbi au, so does the rest of the boys, techincally Tommy is coraline in this case, their also kids, this is horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnButters/pseuds/AutumnButters
Summary: When the Miller family moves across the country for Phil's new job, Tommy goes seeking comfort in something other worldly...Au created by me and my friend Max (@Unn3cessary_N3c), orginal plot belongs to Coraline, we've just adapted the main plot for this fic.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	Buttons and Birds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and his family move to a new house
> 
> Beta read by TerrificallyCatastrophic and Tarthmsuoh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been an undeniable truth
> 
> Since before we even existed;
> 
> Nothing stays the same.
> 
> Change cannot be resisted
> 
> Ms Moem

Moving was the worst thing Phil had decided to do. Tommy loved his dad. He really really did, but he just had to up and move them! It wasn't just that they were moving into a different neighborhood in the same town. 

Oh no. No, no, no. 

He moved them across the country. 

ACROSS THE FUCKING COUNTRY! 

Away from his friends! His home that he'd been in since he was first adopted! 

All of it! 

For some stupid fucking job. 

Tommy scowled, sulking quietly as he sunk into his seat, tears in his eyes and glaring at the seat in front of him. He growled softly, lightly kicking it repeatedly. He was bored. He didn't have a phone like Wilbur or Techno so he didn't have anything to do while trapped in this stupid car. 

"Can you stop that?" Tommy glanced over to find Wilbur staring at him with an annoyed expression, an earbud in one hand and his phone in another. 

"Why?" Tommy asked, giving him an innocent expression as he kicked the seat again. Wilbur frowned and laid his phone down. 

"Well, for one thing, you’re making noise and I'm trying to listen to music." Tommy wrinkled his nose, rolling his eyes at Wilbur's know-it-all attitude. “Another thing is that if you keep kicking the seat, you’ll piss—”

“Language around your brother!” their father cut in.

“—off Techno!”

Phil sighed at Wilbur and Tommy's petty fighting, glancing in the rear-view mirror to the two. "Tommy, stop kicking Techno's seat. Wilbur, you stop acting like a smart-aleck." 

Wilbur rolled his eyes as Tommy groaned. Wilbur popped his earbud back in, glancing out the window while Tommy kicked the seat in front of him again. 

"Tommy," Phil said carefully. 

"Why did we have to move? Why couldn't you have turned the job offer down!" Tommy complained, kicking again as Phil tried his hardest to keep his eyes on the road. 

"I saw a chance to provide more for our family, and I took it. I don't want us to be struggling anymore, and if it means we have to move across the country so we can go to bed fed every night I'll take it." Phil rambled on, Tommy staring daggers at him silently. 

He was unmoved by his father’s little lecture, kicking Techno's seat harshly for the final time. Techno turned and glared into Tommy's soul. 

"Stop it, _nerd_." 

Tommy stopped.

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  


"Hey, Tommy," a soft voice urged as Tommy felt a hand shake his shoulder gently. "We're almost there..." 

He slowly opened his eyes, shifting his head over to Wilbur, who had taken out both his earbuds at some point during the ride. The blond frowned gently, not moving right away despite the uncomfortable position of laying with his shoulder against the car door. 

"You already said that a bunch before," Tommy grumbled before closing his eyes and laying his head against the window. He frowned as he heard a chuckle leave Phil's mouth, curling in by a fraction. 

"Toms, he's actually right for once. We're just about to pull up..." Tommy opened his eyes again with a soft whine, stretching out his stiff body as Wilbur made a fake cooing sound. 

"Aw, baby woke up." 

"Shut up." Tommy's voice was lighthearted. He stretched a bit more, only to kick the seat in front of him by accident. He reeled back in apprehension.

Techno didn't even seem to notice. 

Worries set aside, Tommy straightened up and glanced out the window, frowning as all he saw were tall, dull-barked trees, wild bushes and weeds strewn about the ground.

"There's nothing here," Tommy said. He looked to Phil, irritation beginning to boil. "Don't tell me we moved to the middle of nowhere." 

Phil cringed. "I wouldn't _say that it's the middle of nowhere..."_

Tommy slumped again. 

"Fuckin’ great." 

"Language!" Phil promptly called out. Wilbur frowned. He glanced at his dad before looking back to his baby brother. 

He hated seeing Tommy so... upset. The move had been hard on all of them, not just Tommy. But as long as Wilbur had known him, he'd never seen him so frustrated, so defeated and miserable.

Wilbur sighed softly and reached over, lightly nudging Tommy's shoulder. 

"What?" Tommy spit out bitterly, glancing over at the sixteen-year-old with impatience. 

"Come on, look out the window and tell me what you see!" Wilbur urged quietly, nudging Tommy again. The boy looked up at him, his scrunched face beginning to soften. 

"Why?" he mumbled, confused. 

"Just do it, you wanker!" Tommy rolled his eyes, pulling himself up and looking out the car window with uninterested eyes. 

"I see... boring, old, tall trees. Poisonous looking… stuff. Why am I doing this again?" Tommy peeled himself away from the window and looked towards Wilbur, who was faintly scowling. 

"You have such a short attention span, just look!" Tommy rolled his eyes as he turned back towards the window muttering under his breath. 

"Trees. Trees. Little water stream. More trees." He let out a bored sigh, his pale blue eyes searching for something, _anything interesting_. 

"I see..." he paused. "...a house." 

"What color?" Wilbur asked cheerfully. Tommy felt some excitement rise within him. 

"Blue, a pale blue!" he said, then jumped up, seeing the trees and bushes clear, revealing even more. "And a well! Looks old, we could probably throw someone down there and no one would ever find them." 

"Tommy!" Phil said pointedly, causing Tommy to chuckle. 

"A joke, Dad!" 

"It better be.” Tommy snickered as he looked out the window. 

"I don't see anything else. Looks pretty empty—" Tommy stopped himself as he spotted something in the distance. Wilbur smiled. 

"What is it Tommy?" he asked, leaning forward as he tried not to hit his head on the car roof. 

_"It's... it’s a fuckin’ Ken's house."_

"Tommy!" Phil almost stopped the car entirely, fighting the urge to hit the brakes. 

"Well I'm right, Dad!" Tommy insisted, opening his mouth to go on until he saw his dad's face, tired and disappointed. So he shut up, simply slumping in his seat again. 

An awkward silence floated around the car. Wilbur glanced towards Phil and Tommy, biting his lip and shaking his head. 

Techno was the one to break the silence. 

"It is like a Ken's house..." 

Wilbur snorted, Tommy sitting up slightly with a smug smile as Phil sighed. Techno didn't look back at the other two.

Tommy leaned back towards the door, seeing the big house—'Ken's house'—come into view. 

Its large figure loomed, the blue paint that covered its exterior was peeling—it was probably bright at some point. Stairs and walls of the house stuck out in unusual shapes. It was old-fashioned, couldn't have been more than a hundred years old. Victorian, he guessed. He never liked those types of houses.

There was a set of weirdly placed steps on one side of the house, seeming to lead to some kind of small room at the top that Tommy noted. On the other side was the small and dusty dirt driveway, years of wheel traffic constructing it.

Finally, there was an old barn near the parking lot. Its paint has long since been chipped and peeled off, the brown and molding wood being the most apparent thing about the barn. Well, besides it being ugly.

"You weren't kidding, Tommy," Wilbur said as he bumped his shoulder against Tommy's own, smiling at him. 

Tommy blinked, snapping out of his thoughts before scowling.

"Oh it's not all bad, we'll each have our own rooms now." Tommy let out a small huff, crossing his arms and looking away. 

Phil let out a sigh, unbuckling and pulling out the key from the ignition. "Alright boys, we're here." 

Tommy watched as Phil and the others unbuckled themselves and exited out of the car one by one until he was by himself. It was only for a moment, but he needed it. He needed a moment to himself without his dad or brothers telling him to look on the bright side. He *tried* looking on the bright side, but he still didn't want to be here. 

He wanted to be home, to be in that small room with his brothers even if it meant he sometimes didn't get privacy. 

He hated change. 

_It scared him._

"Tommy come on! We're waiting on you!" called Wilbur, abruptly snapping Tommy out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath, unbuckling his booster seat and getting out. 

He stretched his arms out above his head for a few seconds, taking that moment to get a good look of his surroundings. 

This house really was in the middle of nowhere, wasn't it? There were plain evergreen trees and bushes as far as eyes could see, though a thin trail that went up a hill caught his eye. 

He'd have to look into that. 

Tommy let out a tired sigh, dropping his arms before turning to the others. 

"Are you gonna help?" Techno grunted, pulling out Tommy’s dark red suitcase and placing it on the ground. "Because I'm not dragging your crap into the house." 

"Techno," Phil warned quietly. Techno rolled his eyes and grabbed a few bags of his own. 

Wilbur chuckled and grabbed some other bags before looking to Tommy, gesturing for him to take one. Tommy only picked up his own red suitcase and pulled it close to his chest as Phil finally shut the trunk of the car. 

"Alright. Techno, your room is the second floor, first door on the right. Will, you be in the second room on the left and Tommy..." Phil hesitated. 

"Did I get the crappy room?" Tommy asked dejectedly, not really caring that Wilbur was snickering softly. "It's not that big of a deal dad, I'll man—“ 

"No, no! It's not that." The blond avoided eye contact with Wilbur and Techno, his grip tightening on the luggage in hand. "It's that I kind of... gave Tommy the biggest room." 

Phil then braced for impact, prematurely flinching from the two eldest boys. 

_"You_ **_what?_** _"_ Wilbur said, on the cusp of yelling.

"I got the big room?" Tommy’s eyes were wide. He was shocked, to say the least.

Now, Phil was a good dad. Tommy would never call him a bad one, especially since he was the one who took him in from a young age and gave him a childhood.

But Phil... he played favorites. 

Tommy supposed it wasn't on purpose, but he noticed the way that Phil praised Techno just a little more for a good grade than when he would. Or how he would linger at night by their door when Wilbur started to have a hard time with school. 

And it wasn't like Phil didn't love him, Tommy _knew_ his dad loved him. But sometimes it felt like he loved Techno and Wilbur just a bit more. Was it because he had adopted the two years before himself? Or that he adopted them when they were actual babies? Tommy wasn't sure. 

Maybe it was just jealousy. Maybe it was just Tommy being used to getting the short end of the stick sometimes. It didn't matter too much anyway. 

Techno grunted, snapping Tommy out of his thoughts. He seemed annoyed as he tugged at his bags and started towards the front door. Wilbur looked worried as he followed.

"Techno, it can't be that bad!" he called, stopping. He then glanced back towards Tommy. There was an apologetic smile on the sixteen-year-old's face as he mouthed a 'sorry' before turning to follow Techno again. 

Tommy stared after them for a moment, before glancing back towards Philza. He was busy getting a proper hold of all his own luggage. Then he looked back at the house, standing there in all its glory. There was… something about it.

But his thought dissipated as quickly as it had popped up, a loud caw snatching it out of him. He glanced up, spotting a crow perched calmly on the edge of the front door’s gable roof. Its black pupils pierced right through him.

Tommy felt a shiver as he pushed through and entered the decades-old house.

The floorboard creaked under his feet. He took a moment to look around the main hallway. It was empty, long, dust and grime covering its wooden floor. The walls seemed less dirty, with plenty of space for Phil's pictures. Plenty of space for his 'firsts' pictures. 

Ugh. 

Tommy turned the corner, a hand on his backpack strap which he twisted and pulled on. A rise of anxiety filled his chest as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He looked around and stepped towards the door across the stairs, his anxiety somewhat pulsing. He stopped at the doorway.

He found a small living room with a fireplace across the way, a decently sized table in the middle. For how creepy the outside of the house was, this room seemed pretty normal—for an aged one, that is. But despite this it still made him feel *unnerved*.

And despite how big the outside looked, the inside felt small. Not tiny but… strangely closed off? 

Tommy didn't like it very much. 

Tommy stayed standing there, at the entrance of the living room, not really taking in many details. Only a few seconds passed before he heard footsteps from above, and he turned to spot Wilbur standing at the top of the stairs. 

"Techno is still a bit frustrated, I wouldn't check on him," the brunet muttered, and Tommy nodded, approaching and then heading up the stairs. "Oh, and there are already beds. They're a bit dusty though, so I wouldn't jump on them anytime soon. Gross shit." 

Tommy nodded again as he reached the top, not even batting an eye at the curse word. Then, while going to squeeze around Wilbur to reach the second floor, he felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder and stopped short.

He looked up and saw the worried look on Wilbur's face. The two stood there for a moment, Tommy shooting an annoyed look at him to hurry up. 

"Toms..." 

"Don't call me that," Tommy muttered, his voice harsh and his glare deepening slightly. Wilbur bit his cheek when he suddenly remembered and nodded. 

"Ah, right. I forgot. Sorry." He fumbled with his shirt nervously as he pulled his hand away, not knowing where to put his long arms. "I just... you know you can talk to me if something is really, really, bothering you. Confide in me, even." 

Tommy blinked, staring at Wilbur with confusion. _What is this about?_

After a moment Tommy smiled as he pat Wilbur's shoulder, deflecting his worry. "Are you worried about your widdle bwuther?" 

Wilbur frowned, his concern growing as he pushed Tommy's hand off his shoulder. "I'm serious Tom." 

Tommy cringed at the use of the nickname, knowing it was a warning before his real name. He shook his head, smiling again. Then, while tugging at his backpack strap lightly, he said, "Will, I'm _fine_ , I just… don't like this big change, I'll get over it. You know that." 

Wilbur let out a sigh, not convinced by his words. Tommy didn't even know if he had convinced himself, but he didn’t care that much. 

"Look, if you're really worried then you can always check on me. Okay? My room is just over there." Tommy gestured towards the door at the end of the hallway before offering another smile. 

Wilbur smiled back lovingly. 

"When did Tommy Miller get so smart?" he joked, pulling his baby brother into a side hug and ruffling his hair. 

Tommy laughed, lightly shoving Wilbur, and the two played around. He finally got a hand on Wilbur's arm and pushed. He looked up and grinned.

"Well, Techno did rub off on me!" Tommy joked cheekily. Wilbur then laughed out with a pained expression. 

"Low blow." 

Tommy chuckled at Wilbur's words, then grinned as he finally pulled away. "You know it's true!" 

Wilbur rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…" 

Wilbur giggled quietly. The two stood there for a moment longer.

Tommy let out a yawn breaking the silence. He guessed that the nap in the car hadn’t been enough, and it didn't help that he hadn't properly slept in the past few days. It's not like he hadn't tried, but he didn't do too well in cars for a long time.

"I should let you go rest."

"It's fine Will-" 

"Shoo, you," Wilbur cooed as he pushed Tommy ahead causing him to stumble. He regained his footing after a moment, turning and flipping off Wilbur. 

He finally pulled himself away from his older brother though, shrugging off his backpack and his shoulder as he walked towards the hall. 

After a beat he reached his door but found himself stopping short in front of it. His hand hovered as he stared at the peeling eggshell-colored paint on it.

Despite Wilbur's best efforts he still felt that unease in his chest. Thankfully for the most part it had disappeared with the teasing from him but deep down... 

Tommy still felt it. 

He took a deep breath. 

‘ _Things are only gonna get better Tommy, don't overthink it.’_

He reached forward, gently placing his hand on the knob. Tommy slowly turned the cold metal, the door clicking as he then pushed into it and walked through the door. 

The wallpaper was an unnaturally pale baby blue, old, chipped, and tearing. Figures of small navy blue birds were scattered around, contrasting the lighter color. On the opposite side from Tommy was a big bay window, small shelves and drawers framing the seat that looked out into the front yard. 

It looked to be a decent view. 

Tommy smiled softly, the unease starting to disappear as he slowly walked forward, gently tossing his bag to the side and walking over to the window. Sadly, the baby seat didn't have any padding but Tommy didn't mind too much, simply leaning forward and getting a proper look to the outside. 

Y'know, it didn't look too scary from up here. 

He giggled softly, standing up straight before turning to the other wall where he found his bed laying. It was big with white sheets and no pillows, the frame being detailed with the metal shaped to look like a tree top. 

It looked perfect. 

And all his. 

He then smiled brightly to himself, unable to stop himself from laughing again as he rushed forward to the bed and jumped—

_Plop!_

Tommy's laughter was cut short as dust and grime flew up into the air from his weight before floating back onto him, causing to squirm and gag in disgust. 

"Ewww!" he complained, quickly rolling off starting to wipe his arms and shirt frantically. 

He took back everything he just thought. 

Fuck this room.

* * *

Tommy landed back onto the now ' _clean'_ sheet, laughing as he hugged his pillow against his chest, having gotten it after he finished with shaking the sheets. 

The blond started to giggle softly, hiding his face into the pillow constantly. He felt... a lot better than he did before. 

Though... 

Tommy's grip loosened slightly. 

_He missed the chatter of his brothers, be it banter or arguing._

He sighed and pulled his face away from the pillow, staring at the chipped baby blue ceiling, annoyed, that feeling he's almost exclusively felt since Phil announced the move resetting itself in his chest. 

He hated this feeling. 

He knew how he sounded. He sounded ungrateful. Spoiled. But Tommy was just... scared. 

Fucking change, man.

There was a gentle knock on the door after a moment, Tommy glancing up to see it open and a familiar worried face to appear.

Dad. 

"Hey kiddo, you uh... you okay there?" he asked softly. Tommy sat up and nodded, and he relaxed slightly. "That's good… can I come in?" 

Phil tilted his head and gave an awkward smile. Tommy paused, pulling up his knees and hugging them. He seemed to think it over for a moment. He wouldn't meet Phil's eyes. The blond eventually glanced up at him, half heartedly shrugging. 

"Sure." 

Phil shut the door gently before sitting on the edge of the bed, reaching over and taking Tommy's hand. He held it tightly and lovingly. And they just sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment, Tommy still staring at Phil as he rested his head on his knees. 

This felt familiar. Like a memory he couldn't quite reach…

After a minute Phil finally pulled his hand away from Tommy's, reaching forward and pushing back the kid’s hair, a warm familiar smile on his face. "I love you Toms..." 

Tommy smiled back. "Love you too..." 

"...Tommy you know I moved us for your guys’ sake." Tommy frowned, glaring slightly before hiding his face in his knees again. Phil sighed softly and gently took Tommy's hand again. "I want you and your brothers to have a good life bud... I had to take the job so that you boys don't have to struggle anymore— _you're all important to me."_

Tommy shifted uncomfortably as Phil spoke. He let out a small sigh as he finally mumbled, "I know, dad." He hated talking about this. 

Yes it was nice to actually have money for food outside of dinner. Yes it was nice to have his own room and not have to use his brother's hand-me-downs but _Tommy didn't care about that stuff._

This house wasn't home. _This house could never be his home._

It wasn't the house that Phil took him to when he was first adopted, it wasn't where he had his first actual Christmas, where he had learned how to really read or do math, it wasn't where Wilbur would play him songs to pass the time, it wasn't where Techno taught him origami so he'd have something to do with his hands. It wasn't _**their home.**_

_**It couldn't be their home.** _

_Why didn't Phil understand that?_

Phil squeezed his hand and leaned towards him slightly, shaking him and speaking softly. "Hey, do you remember your sixth birthday?" 

"My sixth birthday?" Tommy asked quietly, perking up. Phil laughed softly and wrapped his arm around him. 

"Yeah, your sixth... It was your first birthday with us. I remember you being so excited leading up to it—you would talk all of our ears off and draw what you think your presents and your cake would be," Phil recalled, a fond smile on his face as pulled him close, "you wouldn't let us tell you anything about what was going to happen. You were too excited." 

Tommy smiled softly, giggling as he leaned into Phil's side. "And what happened on my birthday?" he asked quietly as his dad held him closer, playing quietly with Tommy's hair. 

"Well, you woke up extra early and snuck out of your room. Then you snuck into mine and jumped up and down waking me up like a little gremlin." Tommy laughed as Phil scrunched his nose up, a small smile on his face. "After I woke up, I scooped you up and took you into the living room where we hung out till your brothers got up. After your brothers got up, we opened your presents and that _smile_... I had never seen you so happy before… you wouldn't stop showing us your toys and telling us about it. And then the _cake_..." Phil gasped at the memory causing Tommy to tilt his head in curiosity.

"The cake?" Tommy asked.

"You cried tears of joy, said you'd never seen anything like it… you were just so happy, Toms," he whispered gently squeezing Tommy in another hug before resting his head on top of the blond’s, "I wanted the day to never end. And how you went and curled after eating cake on the couch—" a chuckle—"it was almost perfect." 

Tommy smiled softly, his heart warming at Phil's recollection of his birthday. He clearly had fond memories of it even if Tommy himself couldn't remember too much of it at all. 

God, his dad was such a pussy. Why did he have to make Tommy one too?

Though, something in the story did seem odd. Tommy hummed in though, glancing up to his dad and studying him for a moment. 

"What do you mean by 'almost'?" he asked quietly, watching as Phil's smile quickly disappeared. _Bingo._

Phil stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly to relieve something for a moment before awkwardly clearing his throat and avoiding Tommy's gaze. "I... I should go get dinner ready." He didn’t even seem to be sure of his own words. 

He pulled away from Tommy, taking his warmth with him and leaving Tommy feeling a little colder than he did before all this. 

Tommy frowned. 

_Maybe I pushed him too far..._

He stuffed his thoughts back with a yawn. Phil opened the door and paused before glancing back towards Tommy. "You should rest. I can wake you for dinner." 

Tommy watched him closely but saw that uncomfortable expression and stopped, simply nodding and laying down. He pulled his blankets over and closed his eyes. 

He heard the door slowly start to shut, but Phil hesitated before whispering softly, "Goodnight Toms." 

Tommy smiled softly, slowly feeling himself start to quietly drift off. Tommy gripped his blanket tighter, feeling something warm in his heart before finally dozing off.

_His dreams were filled with buttons and birds that night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the chapter! Thank you so much for reading Chapter 1 of this fic and I really really REALLY hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> The bad news is for people who want to stick around and read the other chapters when they come out, this chapter took about two months to write so, it's most likely the next chapters will take the same amount of time to upload.  
> So sorry in advance.  
> But! I'm very excited to get into the swing of the story that me and my friend have worked hard on! On the note of Max, they actually drew fanart for the au but I'm saving some of it for when some of said characters are introduced!  
> So, enjoy the art they drew: Wilbur Soot!  
>  __  
>   
> If you would like to see more of Max's art, then check out their Twitter:
> 
> _  
> <https://twitter.com/Unn3cessary_N3c?s=09>  
>  _  
> There isn't any more Coraline au art buttt I really do recommend you go just check out their art in general, I'm personally a very big fan and I love their art competely! :D  
> But thank you for reading again, leave a Kudos and comments if you enjoyed it, it would mean so much to me! See you next Chapter!


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